


Now it begins

by larrycaring



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: 5x07, Ace Chemicals episode :), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Canon Era, Canon Related, Canon Universe, Friends to Enemies, Headcanon, I JUST WANTED MORE OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP, I am so bad with these terms; I apologise, M/M, basically it all takes place somewhere in the, can't wait to see Jeremiah again, fight, i miss them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 07:15:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17382086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larrycaring/pseuds/larrycaring
Summary: “This ends tonight, Jeremiah.”The mad man pushed himself off the railing, and there was a slight frown between his perfectly done eyebrows, as if he had wished for Bruce to say anything but that. “No, Bruce,” he differed seriously, but, promptly, his voice was quivered with glee. “Now it begins.” He swung the knife, and his galling smile was on his face again. It was like Bruce was acting exactly like he wanted him to, like he was a whole show himself. In that way, Jeremiah really was like his brother. And as Jeremiah simply walked closer to Bruce, the young boy dashed to him. He wanted to tackle him, but first he had to take care of the knife.And so a fierce fight exploded between them.





	Now it begins

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, guess who’s back? Back again! Me, with another Jeremiah/Bruce fic. Or Batjokes fic? Anyway… Ever since I watched the trailer, I couldn’t obviously get out of my mind the famous Ace Chemicals scene… I am so, so, so really looking forward to that episode. Until then… I decided to let my imagination run wild a little?
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Thank you [Tristan](https://mobile.twitter.com/TrisBrownewell) for beta'ing this one, once again! You're the best. :) 

“Jeremiah!”

Bruce had lost count of how many times he’d screamed that name tonight. He didn’t pay attention to the way his throat burned or to the way his fists kept clenching and unclenching. He just kept running, trying to find Jeremiah. Bruce knew he was playing the cat and mouse game like Jeremiah wanted. But what was Bruce supposed to do? He could not let Jeremiah keep doing those horrible things. He just could not. He was going to put a stop to everything tonight.

The room he finally entered in was no simple room. Just like the rest of the whole chemical plant, the place looked quite dreary. There was a stinking odor in the air, that Bruce wasn’t sure he wanted to know where it came from. Though he was quickly provided answers when his eyes fell on a giant vat of seemingly chemicals. There was actual stream coming out of it, and the gurgling sound Bruce heard made him gulp a little. He didn’t dare to think of the actual content.

Then his eyes flew more upward, and there, on a metallic platform above the vat stood Jeremiah. His elbows were resting on the balustrade like he was admiring the view from a balcony. He had on his face the exact same kind of expression he’d get when something terrible was happening before his eyes. But unlike any sane person, Jeremiah’s eyes would feast on the chaos. The insane man said nothing as he watched Bruce walk further into the room. His eyes were undoubtedly following his movements, and he simply looked like he was waiting for Bruce to reach the stairs of the platform. He was waiting for him to join him, as if he was inviting Bruce to admire the view with him.

But Bruce was in no mood for contemplation. His hands were hitching to demolish something. The rage that he had been trying to contain throughout the night was slowly emerging from the depths of his soul. ‘You think we’re alike, because there’s a darkness in both of us,’ he had told Jeremiah once. ‘The different is, I know how to control mine.’ It was partially true, but tonight Bruce felt like the distant words rang false. Tonight more than ever, he wanted to make Jeremiah pay for everything he had done.

“Oh,” Jeremiah sighed dreamily, tilting his head as Bruce got closer. He had spoken almost faintly, and yet Bruce could hear him well. His icy, abnormal and disturbing steady voice only made Bruce feel more irritated than ever. He stopped in his steps, right in front of the vat. Somewhere inside his mind, a cruel voice casually wished for the balustrade to suddenly disappear so that Jeremiah would fall. “I do love it when you look at me with that frown of yours, Bruce.”

Bruce recoiled, furrowing his eyebrows, even though he knew it’d only made Jeremiah smile in delight. And it did. Oh, how Bruce hated that cold, impish smile Jeremiah so often gave him. It made Bruce madder, and he knew Jeremiah was only trying to get on his nerves, and maybe tonight it was working. After all this time, Bruce had the right to finally snap, didn’t he? And when Bruce noticed the knife Jeremiah was playing with, it only gave him another excuse. He started moving again, not drifting his eyes off Jeremiah as he climbed the stairs leading to the platform. “This ends tonight, Jeremiah.”

The mad man pushed himself off the railing, and there was a slight frown between his perfectly done eyebrows, as if he had wished for Bruce to say anything but that. “No, Bruce,” he differed seriously, but, promptly, his voice was quivered with glee. “Now it begins.” He swung the knife, and his galling smile was on his face again. It was like Bruce was acting exactly like he wanted him to, like he was a whole show himself. In that way, Jeremiah really was like his brother. And as Jeremiah simply walked closer to Bruce, the young boy dashed to him. He wanted to tackle him, but first he had to take care of the knife.

And so a fierce fight exploded between them.

“You’re going to pay for what you’ve done,” Bruce groaned, and he was taken back to that night he had said the exact same words to Jerome, at the circus. Back then, the crazy criminal had come after Alfred. A few months ago only, Jeremiah had targeted the man as well. And then there was Selina…

“Oh, come on, Bruce,” Jeremiah started laughing, and God did Bruce want to rip that constant infuriating smile off his face. “She’s walking again, isn’t she?”

Bruce’s fist collided with Jeremiah’s face. If it was Jerome, Bruce imagined the man would keep laughing. Jeremiah didn’t. There was still that smile on his face though. Bruce punched him again. And again, and again, and again… The knife fell, Bruce thought he heard, but he kept punching. He focused all his anger and strength on taking Jeremiah down, and it worked quite literally. Soon enough he had his ex-friend pinned to the ground, and Bruce found that almost too easy, especially when Jeremiah didn’t immediately struggle against the grip.

Instead he was looking at Bruce with wide eyes, as if he had just remembered something important and he needed to share it with Bruce. “Can’t you feel the connection between us?” he said in a gasp, panting from exhaustion. It almost made him look more human, but Bruce knew there was no humanity left in Jeremiah, was it? Otherwise they wouldn’t be in this situation right now.

And it took a few seconds for Bruce to respond. He wasn’t sure what were Jeremiah’s real intentions towards him. He had said every time that he did all these things for Bruce, for his benefit, to prove him his friendship. To help him build the Gotham he needed, whatever that meant. And maybe in Jeremiah’s insane brain, it was true kindness he was showing Bruce. Maybe that what was Bruce needed to do now: To let got of his old friend, to let him know that he had lost him. Maybe then Jeremiah would fucking leave him alone. So Bruce leaned down, closer to the pale face, making sure he had Jeremiah’s attention. He knew he had it already anyway. And as articulated as possible, he gritted through his teeth, “You mean nothing to me.”

He was a bit surprised that Jeremiah didn’t immediately react. It scared him even more that the man only stared into Bruce’s eyes a moment, as if genuinely being taken aback by Bruce’s hurtful words. And maybe he was truly hurt, but even then, nothing was shown on his face. His eyes were looking between Bruce’s, but that was all before he finally unleashed his response by headbutting him.

Bruce tried to recover but Jeremiah suddenly seemed back on his feet. If Bruce had hoped for his words to have a negative effect, it was the opposite. Jeremiah soon had him caged against the railing, and the hard metal was pressing into Bruce’s back. He tried to bite back a groan, but he knew he could not help the grimace of pain. He caught Jeremiah’s pleased smile, as if Bruce physically hurting was an eye to an eye for trying to hurt him emotionally. Again, it was probably what Jeremiah was doing.

Jeremiah pushed him even closer against the balustrade, closer than it was possible. Bruce feared a little that the railing would not be maintained for too long. But there was no way Bruce was going to fall. If anyone was to fall tonight, it was Jeremiah. And that voice in the back of Bruce’s mind was back again, and it gave him the sudden urge to push Jeremiah back in an abrupt, violent movement. He hoped Jeremiah would retaliate the same way, more violently maybe. He almost was happy when he did. He got out of the way, and Jeremiah literally went straight into the railing. Bruce lifted his leg, and with a foot pushing Jeremiah on the back, the railing went down under the weight, with Jeremiah following suit.

Bruce had a short moment where he acted on reflex, hand reaching out and brushing Jeremiah’s gloved one. And Jeremiah did grip his, and soon Bruce saw himself flying over, so he gripped the railing left standing in swift motion. He was gripping the metal with dear life, his other hand being tugged by the weight of Jeremiah who was literally on the brink of falling into the vat if it wasn’t for Bruce keeping him up there.

“Oh, Bruce,” Jeremiah chuckled, not at all alarmed by his current situation, as if there was no chemical container at the end of his road. Bruce winced as he was struggling more and more, holding on to Jeremiah. He was determined of not letting go, but Jeremiah was not helping at all. Why wasn’t he getting away from the edge already?

Bruce looked down at the vat, then at Jeremiah’s gratified face. It all clicked. “You don’t have to do this,” he pleaded through his teeth, the pain becoming unbearable a little.

Jeremiah smiled then, almost softly. “I knew you cared about me.”

And then, he let go of Bruce’s hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, okay, that’s it, but he ain’t dead so. I guess we will have to wait for episode 7 to truly watch the outcome of this awaiting battle… Can’t wait for the showdown!
> 
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> **Thank you for reading, hope you liked it.**
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